Page 100 of Dare To Take

“Hammonton Hospital.” She names a place a couple of miles away from Churchill Bradley Academy.

“Hospital?” I sit up and immediately regret it when the room spins, and nausea threatens.

“The school medical staff were worried it was more serious than they could deal with on the site. They called for medical care, and we sent an EMT to bring you here. As it happens, it looks like it was a bad reaction to GHB, but the urine test should confirm that.”

“GHB?”

“It’s also called liquid ecstasy.”

“What the fuck?”

Chapter 62

Arabella

Eli is my strength, and Kellan is my shield. They bring sunshine to my day when there are only rain clouds around me. When I’m with them, I don’t feel the pressure of fitting in. I don’t have to pretend I’m someone else. Everyone around me is wearing a mask, but sometimes when they think others aren’t looking, they let it slip.

“What are you reading?”

Slapping Zoey’s diary shut, I find Kellan making himself comfortable in the chair beside me. I snatch up my bag and shove the book to the bottom of it. “Nothing.”

The only thing I can lose myself in and take me out of this waking nightmare.

“Here’s the coat you left at the chapel.” He drops it on the floor beside me and eyes the book with interest. “Is that your diary?”

“No.” Nerves dry my mouth and I lick my lips. “Is there any news on Eli?”

Sunday dragged, and I’d heard nothing from Miles, except that Eli had been taken to a local hospital. I spent most of the day a sobbing mess in my room, my mind spinning out of control with every potential outcome. Monday finally rolled around, and there’s been no sign of Eli at breakfast.

His dad will never forgive me if anything happens. Elena will hate me. I’ll be dubbed the Killer of Churchill Bradley Academy right before I’m arrested and dragged off to jail for murder.

“You don’t look so well,” Kellan murmurs, his razor-sharp gaze trained on my face. “Feeling guilty? What did you give Eli?”

My knuckles turn white where it’s still clutching my bag. “I don’t know.”

“Who gave it to you?”

“I don’t know.”

“Bullshit. I can make you tell me.”

The softly spoken threat hangs between us.

I remain silent.

Kellan’s jaw clenches. “You need to stop fucking around.”

A fracture cracks through the hard ball of unstable emotions I’ve been carrying around.

Tell him. Tell him. Tell him.

“I can’t.” My voice shakes. This is the worst pain I’ve ever felt.

“This is not how you get Eli’s attention. You could have killed him.”

“I know—”

You could have killed him. You could have killed him. You could have killed him.

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